What do you do if you're struggling with time management in a remote leadership role?

Speak up and bring it up with your leader. Sometimes what holds people back is the fact that they are afraid to speak up and discuss about it. Use this as an opportunity to reset, reprioritize, and rebuild other you can perform better.

Setting clear and well-defined goals while prioritizing tasks based on their importance and urgency helps in completing essential tasks first thus avoiding any delays or defaults. Also communicating your goals and expectations to your seniors and colleagues helps in delegating tasks according to ensure that both personal as well as individual goals are achieved.

Time blocking. Time blocking. Time blocking. That's first. It takes discipline. Without it, the negative effects snowball. Context switching is one of the hardest challenges for leaders. Time blocking is the fix for that. Set a timer for 25 minutes to move one thing forward - when time's up, stop and move to the next thing. Next is being honest with yourself. Do you need a "deadline" to work productively on something ahead of time? Find a person who can help keep you on track. Make a commitment to another human that you will follow-up with details and conclusions. Are you taking on only the work that "feels good?" Do the harder stuff first. Make sure the "feel good" work should truly be done by you and only you - delegate if not!

Determine what's important: Figure out your top priorities for the day or week, and tackle those first. Don't sweat the small stuff—focus on what really matters.

First things first, identify your priorities! It's easy to get carried away when you have a lot on your plate. Categorize your work based on their importance and urgency. If you're juggling multiple deadlines, 'Important | Urgent' are the ones that should be taken care of first. Next, schedule and plan for the 'Important | Not Urgent' ones. Identify when it's time to seek help and delegate work appropriately. This will save you more time to focus on the important tasks. Be proactive and set early deadlines to complete tasks, so you have a buffer time for last-minute adjustments. Do Communicate! Last but not least, don't be afraid to say 'No!' when you have to. You'll end up with more work than you can manage if you lack this skill.

Time is our most precious resource, irreplaceable once gone. To optimize your day, I suggest structuring it around two key principles: the value gained and the value delivered. Your calendar and to-do lists should reflect one of the two or both. After removing non-essential items, I recommend prioritizing tasks based on high impact and low effort. Focus on completing tasks that yield significant results with minimal resources. These strategies boost productivity, prevent burnout and ensure you have accomplishments to celebrate every week.

Completing a time-diary for a week is a game-chager when prioritising tasks. It gives you a reality check of how you are actually spending your time. Once you know this - you can be more choiceful as to how you wish to spend your time.

Leadership, whether remote or onsite, is not easy. Properly managing people and ensuring tasks are completed is a critical and often underrated skill. To lead effectively, you must understand your team. Recognize each member's strengths and assign tasks and roles accordingly. Praise top performers by specifying what they did well, and offer constructive feedback on how they can improve. Lastly, maintain regular check-ins or one-on-one meetings with your team members. Understanding their situations beyond the workspace will help you manage them more efficiently. I've been applying these strategies while managing a team remotely for the last four years.

Setting a schedule that includes dedicated time for every task makes it easier to complete tasks on time. Allocating time for meetings, focused work, and breaks helps in maintaining a more effective and efficient work-life balance.

Make a plan: Set up a schedule that works for you, with time set aside for meetings, work sessions, and breaks. Stick to it as much as you can to stay on track. Use tech tools: There are tons of apps and software out there to help you stay organized, like calendars and to-do lists. Find ones that work for you and make good use of them.

In remote leadership, establishing a routine and boundaries is crucial for effective time management. My experience has taught me the value of a structured day, which not only enhances productivity but also maintains a healthy work-life balance. Using tools like timers and productivity apps helps, but the real game-changer is the discipline to adhere to these routines. The challenge is not in setting boundaries but in respecting them, a lesson learned through trial and error. A consistent routine minimizes distractions and ensures focus, a non-negotiable in remote work environments. This approach has not only improved my productivity but also my team's, by setting a clear example of work-life integration.

Die Einführung einer festen Routine und klar definierter Grenzen hilft nicht nur bei der Bew?ltigung der Herausforderungen des Remote-Arbeitens, sondern f?rdert auch das Wohlbefinden und die Arbeitszufriedenheit. Es zeigt, wie essenziell es ist, Arbeit und Privatleben auch in einer vernetzten Welt in Einklang zu bringen.

Setting clear boundaries between professional and personal life helps to avoid burnout. Communicating the project expectations with the team regarding deadlines, and projects while fostering open communication to address any challenges or concerns helps in mutual growth at both personal and professional levels. While working remotely it is essential to set clear expectations and communicate them with your team.

The pandemic thrust remote work onto many, prompting managers to adapt to remote team management. As a result of this new arena, some managers leaned towards micromanagement for productivity, but it's not the best approach. Employees are hired for their skills and perform best when trusted and given autonomy. Micromanaging erodes trust and morale, hampering productivity and loyalty. Balancing trust with occasional check-ins fosters a supportive environment. Trusting your team while staying connected cultivates productivity and loyalty. Ultimately extending trust will result in your employees being bought in and producing more than they ever will from excessive oversight and micromanagement.

Effective delegation is a key strategy for time management. Identify tasks that can be assigned to capable team members based on their strengths and expertise. Empowering your team through delegation not only lightens your workload but also fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility among team members.

Delegation can be hard to master if you are new to it...particularly if you are prone to micromanaging. These 4 golden rules of delegation are extremely helpful: - Identify and prioritise the right task to delegate. - Identify the right time to delegate a task. - Choose the right person to delegate a task to. - Provide the right supervision.

'Delegate and empower' sounds easier than it is in practice. Trust is earned, not a default. As a remote leader, you have no shared office time to build relationships. It can take MONTHS to pinpoint who is reliable. Delegating too early can backfire. Company coaching sessions could be an added value. Day-to-day delegation is messier and needs on-the-ground support.

This speaks true to me as a remote leader right now and what has worked for me is related to how I review my progress. Some things I have been focused on more than when in traditional leadership roles: - How to be "present" (and that the team and key stakeholders feel it too) despite not being physically there? - Priority setting for myself and others is a must - Clear and frequent communication and feedback in all directions - Having very well laid down planning and monitoring of where we are, where we are going and how the journey is going By checking all of these points with my team and stakeholders, I am able to create much clearer plans for my own work

Regularly evaluating your results and performance can help in analyzing the effectiveness of the time management strategies you have framed. Evaluating your time management strategies can help to identify areas for improvement, adjust your approach and frame strategies accordingly.

Usually when I begin to feel the struggle it’s a red flag I’m ready to take a break and create self care. Too often we keep going during these times of resistance and burnout when taking a break to reset and find your center (clarity) is exactly what’s needed.

Incorporate the Pomodoro Technique into your remote leadership routine by breaking your work into focused, 25-minute intervals (Pomodoros) followed by short breaks. This method helps maintain concentration, mitigates burnout, and enhances time management. Set a timer for each Pomodoro, allowing you to efficiently navigate through tasks while ensuring regular breaks for mental rejuvenation. Integrate this technique with other strategies to strike a balance between productivity and well-being in your leadership role.

Use the first 30 minutes and last 30 minutes of every day. In the morning, review your email and calendar. What's urgent? What meeting can be an email? What could be postponed for more important work? At the end of the day, what did you accomplish? What new tasks have come your way? What can you finish well? Apply the 5-to-5 rule. Do not start a task, email, or project while rushing out the door.

You're a remote leader and you are struggling keeping up with your company needs. What can you do? First of all, make sure you have the right diagnosis of the situation. Are you not only competent but proficient at what you need to do? Do you know the strengths of each one of your team members and of their collective advantage? Have things changed and you need to shift gears and start from scratch? Do you have new leadership? Once you have a clear idea of what the problem is in keeping up with the demands of your job, then you can design a clear plan to address the issues and methodically and consistently set up goals with deadlines to achieve every single step of the way.

Je suis dirigeante et en 100% télétravail. Avec le temps, cela fait 6 ans maintenant, j'ai appris : - à avoir des rituels de contact avec l'équipe sur lesquels je ne transige pas et qui me permette de suivre le rythme de production - à avoir une heure de fin: 18:30 à laquelle je me tiens sauf urgence - à aller marcher régulièrement, surtout dans les journées où j'encha?ne beaucoup les réunions - à alterner réunion et temps de réflexion pour mettre du rythme dans ma journée

Identify what's distracting you and find ways to minimize it. Whether it's noisy neighbors or social media, find ways to stay focused on the task. Make sure your team knows what you expect and when you need things done. Set realistic deadlines and be open about how you're managing your time. Don't forget to take breaks and look after your well-being. A happy, healthy leader is a more productive one! If you're struggling, don't be afraid to ask for help or advice. Your colleagues may have some great tips to share. Time management is a learning process, so don't be afraid to try new things and see what works best for you. Keep tweaking your approach until you find what clicks.